Entertainment

The lack of save backup on the Switch is pushing Nintendo fans to endorse hacking

Nintendo might be exacerbating a problem it's trying to avoid with the decision to not let players back up their Switch save data.

It might seem inconceivable that a new piece of gaming hardware in 2017 wouldn't allow for save backups, but here we are. And now, more than eight months after the Switch launched, a growing number of fans are fed up with Nintendo's non-delivery of this very basic feature of 21st century technology.

Nintendo's stance is straightforward: We're not ready to talk about it yet, but the feature is mostly not present because of piracy and hacking concerns. That's pretty much what Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told us at E3 over the summer.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, a growing sense of anger and frustration that's evident in the fan community may end up spurring exactly the kind of activity the Switch-maker is trying to avoid.

Two separate Reddit posts that published in the last day are attracting a growing number of voices that all seem to share a similar attitude: If Nintendo won't fix this then we'll have to do it ourselves.

These are just some of the responses that overtly encourage or express hope for the console to be hacked. Sitting alongside them are countless other posts from paying Nintendo customers who are terrified that their data, which in many cases represents hundreds of hours worth of effort, will be lost.

There's been a lot of talk over the past week about toxicity in the gaming industry and how developers and publishers are afraid to be transparent because of the rage they risk incurring.

But let's be clear: This isn't an example of irrationally angry gamers.

To release a computer system in 2017 without a feature as basic and straightforward as file management — even if it's a hands-off backup, a la Apple products — is unheard of. Nintendo is the first and last current example of such a thing happening.

These people are justifiably angry, in my mind. We've reached out to Nintendo — again — for some guidance on what's going on with data protection on the Switch. I'll be sure to update this post if I hear anything... but don't hold your breath.

Mashable
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